True Loves
by Mr. KC
Summary: Shepard and Garrus have finally managed to infiltrate the Collector base. But though the mission has gone well so far, will the two lovers be able to complete it unscathed?
1. Seeker Swarms

**True Loves**

Chapter 1: Seeker Swarms

Shepard, Garrus, and Kasumi had to move fast. The Collectors were storming up from both ends of the metal walkway. Samara was doing well holding up the biotic bubble, but Shepard could see the pain of prolonged use of her biotic abilities on her face. She didn't know how much longer Samara would last if they couldn't get out of the seeker swarms soon.

"Go, Samara, move, move! We'll take care of the Collectors in the way!" Shepard shouted. Samara nodded, her arms quivering with fatigue, as she ran quickly toward the end of the walkway. Shepard and Kasumi shot wildly at the lines of Collectors in front of them while Garrus fired at those approaching from the rear. As they neared the end of the walkway, Shepard could see a slope at the end leading down to a room with a heavy metal door.

"There!" Kasumi shouted in between her never ending stream of flashbang grenades. "Get us down there and I can seal that door!"

"What she said!" Garrus agreed, picking off several Collectors with headshots. "I can't keep these Collectors off our backs forever. I don't even have a chance to say 'impressive' after each one I take out!"

The group reached the end of the walkway and Kasumi and Shepard realized that no other Collectors were arriving to replace the ones they killed. They looked down the slope and could see that, for the moment, the horde in front of them had subsided. The pathway was clear all the way to the door. There were some small metal barriers at the top of the slope. Samara walked between them while Shepard and Kasumi vaulted over them on either side of her, keeping a wary eye out for any Collectors that might fly in. Garrus turned to follow them, but as he was about to climb over the barrier, he was struck in the back by a Collector bullet. He tripped over the barrier and fell face first onto the slope. Samara continued moving, unaware of his fall as the outer edge of the biotic bubble approached Garrus's legs. He scrambled down the slope to remain in the safety of the envelope as Shepard saw what had happened.

"Arrrggh!" Garrus shouted. He swatted at his leg. The biotic barrier had moved further along the path and Garrus had not been able to keep up; his legs now fell outside it and a seeker flew away, having just stung him. Shepard saw Garrus on the ground and reached out her hand to him. Garrus reached to grab it when he realized how stiff his arm was. Not only his arm, but his entire body felt tight and unmovable. _Wow, I haven't felt this stiff and sore since the morning after that tiebreaker match back in the military,_ Garrus thought.

Shepard quickly grabbed his hand, a look of horror appearing on her face as she realized what was happening, and started pulling him back fully inside the bubble. She could see that Garrus was frozen like the colonists on Horizon. Ready to be taken away for processing. She wasn't about to allow Garrus to the mercy of the Collectors. Before she could pull him fully in, however, Shepard felt resistance. Something was pulling him back out of the bubble. Suddenly, Garrus felt himself floating. He was somehow rising above Shepard as her mouth opened in horror. He strained his eyes to look to either side of him but couldn't see anything. He rose higher than the bubble and soon only saw his arm poking through the giant blue orb, Shepard being the only thing anchoring him to the ground. He could no longer see her; the opaque, shimmering surface of the biotic bubble obscured her face.

Shepard had never been so terrified in her life. Seeker swarms had latched on to Garrus's legs and were attempting to pull him away from her. She held on desperately to his hand with both of hers, trying hopelessly to set her feet in the smooth metal below her. "No, no no nononono!" she screamed as she realized she was losing ground. Her feet were beginning to slide up the slope, unable to find anything to catch on. More seeker swarms arrived and latched on to Garrus's unprotected torso. Their added force pulled Shepard so hard that she felt her legs leave the ground. She continued rising and her arms left the protection of the biotic barrier.

* * *

Shepard was brought back to the night before. The night when she was surprised by a rather nervous looking Garrus carrying a bottle of cheap wine. The night when he tried so desperately to set the romantic mood by playing dance music from Flux. The night when he awkwardly attempted to compliment her looks but was quite unsure of what to say. Everything about that night only made her love him more. He had bought a wine for Shepard that he couldn't even drink because of his DNA. He had actually remembered an innocuous comment Shepard had made back in Flux about liking the music. And, damn it, he just tried so hard to make her happy! She did her best to help him relax, set him more at ease. He seemed so edgy that he looked like he would pass out. But his quirks only endeared her more to him. She remembered first meeting him in the Council chambers. He apologized for not being able to find any hard evidence in his investigation against Saren. He also seemed to be averting his eyes from Shepard during that conversation. And, later, when she encountered him in Dr. Michel's office. (She always referred to that as his first real "Impressive!" moment.) He was so eager to join her after that meeting! When Shepard agreed to let him on her team, if he was human, she would have sworn he was blushing.

She developed a crush on him soon after they met. His personality simply drew her in. As they spent more and more time together, she realized that she was falling for the turian hunk. She tried to provoke him into revealing any mutual feelings. She stealthily watched his tireless work on the Mako, hoping to catch the rare glimpse when he would be forced to take off his armor to slide underneath it. Then, she'd ever so casually "bump" into him for a chat, hoping for him to emerge from beneath the vehicle, though he always seemed reluctant. Deep down, she did believe that he felt the same way about her that she did about him, but she was too nervous to approach him without fully knowing his true feelings. She felt he was too good of a friend to jeopardize their current relationship by admitting unreturned affection. But as she lay floating in space, dying, she felt like a complete idiot for not admitting it to him before. Garrus was not the kind of man who would abandon her for a simple admission of love.

But her rebirth had allowed her to find him again, and she made certain that she would not make the same mistake. She remembered their reunion on Omega. He took off his helmet, revealing how he'd changed after two years. His face was harder, more emotionless. His stance was wary and combative, the result of living a lonely, dangerous life as a vigilante. She felt as though she were melting as she quickly ran in to embrace him for the first time in what felt like ages. Garrus seemed unprepared for such a vigorous welcome as they both tumbled to the ground. As he fully realized that Shepard was alive and on top of him, he seemed to melt, as well. His new façade disappeared and he became the same old quirky, lovable Garrus she knew from before. They had been granted more time with each other. Time for their relationship to truly blossom. When she was fully certain that he held feelings of affection for her, she asked him for a date for them to have shortly before the base infiltration, knowing they might not get another chance. He seemed both ecstatic and panicked as he agreed. They fully realized the depth of their love for each other, and she would never leave him again. He was the love of her life, her perfect complement. And now everything had gone to hell. Her love was about to die. She couldn't let go of him. She'd rather die with him.

* * *

"Oww!" she yelped, a sudden pain shocking her back to reality. She felt a prick on her hand and saw a seeker buzzing away. She felt her fingers lock in place, immovable. The rest of her body soon followed; Shepard couldn't force herself to move an inch. Every muscle in her body felt tight and contracted. The seekers pulled her further out of the bubble as Kasumi and Samara realized what was happening to her. Shepard's feet left the bubble and Samara strained to stretch it over Garrus and Shepard. Her hands shook violently as she attempted to manipulate the biotic field to no avail. She collapsed to her knees, too tired to extend the bubble's range any further. Kasumi lobbed multiple grenades at the seekers, trying to scare them away. The seekers were unfazed. She took out her SMG, aiming at the swarms that had latched onto them. But they all knew that that wouldn't do any good; there was no way Kasumi could shoot the seekers to death, and she could not fire with the risk of hitting either of them. Shepard and Garrus rose higher, no one able to protect them. They were unable to look away from each other and unwilling to if they could. The bubble rapidly appeared to shrink as they rose higher and higher. They realized that they were going to die.


	2. Unexpected Aid

**True Loves**

Chapter 2: Unexpected Aid

Garrus and Shepard stared at each other, as if trying to apologize to each other for their imminent deaths. Shepard had never thought that anything like this could happen to Garrus; it was her fault for not helping him before he was stung. Garrus was mortified that Shepard would die because of him; it was his fault for being careless and staying outside the barrier too long, and Shepard should have let him go. They closed their eyes and attempted to remember the good times they shared, to take solace in the fact that they would be together no matter what they faced.

As they resigned themselves to this, they were suddenly surrounded by blue light. The seekers flew away from the two as they dropped back to the ground, uttering loud grunts of displeasure as they hit it. A second biotic bubble was quickly approaching from the rear. Something in the bubble was shooting and killing every Collector in its way.

"All clear, go for it, froggy!" a voice shouted from inside the second bubble. A loud roar shook the air and Grunt suddenly burst from the bubble, charging toward Shepard and Garrus.

He ignored the seeker swarms in his way as he got closer and closer to Shepard and Garrus, the two beginning to yell muffled cries through sealed jaws as they prayed he would stop before he stepped on them. He snatched the two up and ran directly into Samara's bubble. Samara and Kasumi stared blankly at the krogan slinging the two over his shoulder, so immovable that they might have been statues. He looked back at them.

"Hi," he said emotionlessly.

The second bubble approached and enveloped them all. Jack emerged in sight and approached Samara. "Hey."

Samara's blank stare turned to Jack. "Wh… what are you doing here?"

"Cheerleader sent me, and it looks like we got here just in time," Jack replied. "She said they could hold up fine without two extra people. And she thought having two strong biotics would be better for you guys than one." She smirked. "At least now she's accepting that I'm a better biotic than her."

Samara looked relieved. "I am quite grateful for your assistance. Would you be able to sustain the biotic shield the remainder of the way to the next room?"

Jack rolled her eyes. "What do you think I'm here for, bluey? Since you guys did a pretty damn good job of clearing the way, me and froggy here were able to run straight through." She smiled darkly. "I've still got power to spare. So just… chill, for a while. I'll make sure even you survive. I wanna see if I'll ever have to kill you." Kasumi wrapped her arm around Samara to help her walk as the group continued on the way to the door, Jack holding the shield steadily the whole way. As they approached the door, a large group of Collectors flew in, interposing themselves between the squad and the door. The Collectors erected a wall of impenetrable yellow shields in their way, preventing the squad from continuing forward or attacking them. Jack looked pissed.

"Get out of our damn WAY!" she shouted as she began vigorously glowing blue, exerting a massive amount of power. "Listen," she said to the others breathlessly. "When I say 'go,' you all run for the door. We'll have to close it fast once we're all inside."

Kasumi nodded. "Leave that part to me," she said. Jack began yelling, vast volumes of biotic energy erupting from her small frame.

"GO!" she screamed. The other three began running to the door, Shepard and Garrus still in tow, as the biotic bubble expanded in front of them. It hit the lines of Collectors, smashing them all out of the way and overloading and destroying the shields before dissipating. The rest of the squad made it to the next room as Jack began running there to catch up, vulnerable without her biotic shield. Seeker swarms had emerged and began chasing her.

"Start closing it now!" she shouted to Kasumi. Kasumi hesitated for a second and began working on the door's controls. It began sealing quickly. Jack ran faster, but she could tell that she would not be able to reach the other room before the door was completely closed. She quickly summoned whatever remained of her biotic energy reserves and channeled it into her hands. She shot biotic jets out behind her from her hands, incinerating the seekers and giving her the necessary boost to shoot into the next room while the door was still open. It closed directly after, keeping all seeker swarms out.

"Hmph," Grunt snorted, "pretty impressive, tiny. Who knew someone like you would have it in you?" At the mention of the word "impressive," Shepard thought she could hear Garrus grumble softly.

Miranda's voice echoed through Jack's communicator. "Jack? You there? Come in, now! We're in position!"

Jack answered back, "Yeah, I'm here, cheerleader. Got here just in time to save dino-boy and your precious Lazarus project. First time for everything, I guess."

"…What? N-never mind, we need your help, now! Are you in position yet?"

"Yep. Sneaky, open the far door." Kasumi nodded and worked swiftly on a nearby panel. The large door to the next room opened to show a great firefight. The squad had their backs to a wall as the Collectors were endlessly barraging them with shots. Grunt dropped Garrus and Shepard out of sight, roared, and ran off to join the fight. Jack and Kasumi followed. Samara remained near Garrus and Shepard to guard them if any Collectors saw them.

"Are you two all right?" she asked them.

"Mmm hmm," they muttered in muffled tones.

They overheard the sounds of the battle. "Jacob, on your left!" "Thane, take this guy out!" Eventually, the sounds grew sparser and dropped away altogether. Legion came running up to the three.

"Shepard-Commander, Vakarian-Officer, Samara-Justicar. Collector horde has diminished. You must rejoin us so that we may seal every door to prevent Collector reinforcements from entering." Samara nodded. She began to walk toward the others. Legion picked up Shepard and Garrus and carried them into the room as the large doors closed behind them. Jack and Miranda approached.

"Shepard!" Miranda yelled. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"They were stung by seekers," Samara answered. "They were about to carry them both away. Were it not for Jack and Grunt's timely arrival, they would both be dead."

Miranda turned to Jack, her eyes wide. "Really? I thought I misheard the communiqué… well, I… thank you, Jack, for saving them. Truly." Miranda seemed to be at a loss for words. She looked at Jack with true appreciation.

Jack looked away. "Yeah, whatever." She seemed to want to change the subject. Her eyes turned to the frozen pair. "Hey, doc? Get over here and fix these lovebirds! They're starting to make me sick, what with all their handholding… and stuff."

Legion set them down as Mordin approached and projected some writing through his omni-tool, perusing it more quickly than Shepard would have ever thought possible. He took out a pair of syringes and filled one with a precise amount of a medication. He injected it into Shepard, the latter moaning a bit as the needle stuck her. He filled the second with a different medication and injected it into Garrus. "There. Should be better now. Muscles will relax shortly. Might feel soreness for a few minutes afterwards, though. Also had to make sure to use different medicines for different DNA. Hmm… hope they didn't get mixed up. If you feel like you are dying, begin coughing blood, passing out, come see me. Quickly. Any other injuries?" He quickly examined them both, stopping to look at where Garrus was shot in the back. "Hmm, Collector bullet. Completely blocked by armor, superficial. No tissue damage. Very good." He stood up. "Now, must go apply medigel. Zaeed shot in foot. Crying loudly. Claims it is 'my Goddamn neck-crushing foot!'" Mordin shuddered and shook his head before turning to walk away.

Shepard felt her muscles loosen as she yelped in pain at the sudden burst of soreness from them. She sighed._ Just like the doctor said_, she thought. Garrus soon let out a cry, as well, and she knew he had to be feeling the same thing she was.

"Um, Shepard," he asked. "Mordin wasn't… mmm…" he groaned in pain "…serious, was he? About the coughing blood stuff?"

Shepard chuckled. "Don't worry, Garrus. Mordin… ooh… knows what he's doing. He can just be a bit of a jokester. Albeit oftentimes at… guuhh… extremely inappropriate moments." She reached for her communicator. That soreness just did not want to go away.

"Uhh, EDI?" Shepard called into her communicator when she was able to make herself stand up. "Ahh, how is everything? Did the… unghh… crew make it back okay?"

"Tali and the crew just arrived, Shepard. No casualties."

"Great. Now we can finish this," Miranda piped in. "How do we blow this place, EDI?"

"You must get to the center of the facility. There, you can program the station's self-destruct on a timer. I have hacked into the program controlling the floating platforms. The one arriving now at the far end of the room will take you directly to the center of the facility." Right on cue, a platform floated into sight and docked itself at an opening at the end of the room.

"However, Shepard," EDI continued, "I do not recommend you go alone. There are too many possible surprises for you to find waiting for you."

Shepard agreed, her soreness finally subsiding. "I'll take a small squad with me. The rest of you, hold this area. If the Collectors find a way in, try to keep the Collectors from overrunning it, it's our only way out from the heart of the facility. But if something happens, like you just can't hold this location any longer, or if I tell you to, open the doors and run like hell to the Normandy. Garrus, Kasumi, you're with me."

Kasumi smiled. "After all we've been through together, Shep, I'd be kind of insulted if you didn't take me."

"What she said. Definitely what she said," Garrus said with a knowing smirk on his face. The three of them walked toward the platform EDI mentioned. It was floating over an enormous chasm. There were several tubes running along the ceiling going toward the center room. The Collectors were channeling the human goo into the center of the facility.

"Shepard?" Miranda called before the three stepped onto the platform. Shepard turned to face her. "Good luck out there. And please don't die," she added quickly. She had a genuinely distressed look on her face. "After getting to know you, I'd really hate to lose you again…"

Shepard smiled. "Ah, don't worry, Miranda. The three of us will be back before you know it." Miranda smiled back, nodded, and turned around, ready to face any Collectors that might approach. Shepard, Garrus, and Kasumi stepped on the platform as it began to carry them to the center of the facility.

"Whatever they're using the… processing for, I highly doubt it's anything but bad news," Garrus said, turning to Shepard.

Shepard turned to face him. "Well, yeah, I don't really think that molten people **can** be used for anything good."

"Well, there is a small chance. They might make a damn tasty mixer." He smiled creepily at Shepard.

"That's… unnaturally disturbing, Garrus. Maybe I should just take you to that bartender at Eternity. She saw a krogan drinking a liquefied turian once. Maybe we could get Grunt to see what Garrusade tastes like.

Garrus backed away from Shepard a few steps. He pulled out his sniper rifle and examined the scope. "Um, never mind, I've gotta do this calibration…" Shepard smirked in satisfaction. Kasumi rolled her eyes and sighed at the lovebirds.


	3. Archangel's Unkeepable Promise

**True Loves**

Chapter 3: Archangel's Unkeepable Promise

"Oh… my… God…" Kasumi said, her voice quivering.

"This is… disgusting. It's an abomination!" Garrus said softly.

"Well, it sure as hell explains what they needed the humans for. A human reaper. I guess after we killed Sovereign they needed a replacement. Made from the species that killed Sovereign. Reaper evolution, I suppose."

Their platform had led them into a large central room with what looked like a giant human-shaped robot hanging from the wall in front of them. The ground was made up of several floating platforms like the one they were on.

"Shepard," EDI chimed in, "the reaper is incomplete. It is a construct composed of a mixture of organic and inorganic material. Several tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of humans will still be required to complete it. If you work to destroy it now, you can prevent its 'birth'. Look above the reaper. The tubes that are pumping the organic matter into it are its supports. They should be the weak points. Destroying them should cause the creature to fall from the wall and be destroyed."

The three looked up at the tubes. They all converged into three large glass tubes that were pumping the fluids into the reaper's body. The squad looked at each other. "Well, if we each target a different one, maybe we can take them all out at once," Kasumi suggested.

Garrus nodded. "I'll take the one on the right."

"I'll take the center one. Kasumi, you've got the left one," Shepard said.

Kasumi nodded and pulled out her SMG. Garrus took his sniper rifle and Shepard grabbed her assault rifle. They all aimed their shots. "See?" Garrus said, "Moments like these are why constant calibration is vital for success."

"Ready," Shepard said, ignoring him, "aim, FIRE!" The air rang with the sounds of their gunfire. Garrus blasted shot after shot into the tubing with his Viper rifle. Kasumi's Locust was shooting so rapidly that the kickback almost made her lose control of it. Shepard did her best to keep her Revenant steady and focused on the tube. Eventually, the loud sound of shattering glass sounded through the air. Shepard's tube smashed to pieces, the liquid inside falling onto the reaper's head in a giant splash. After Shepard destroyed hers, a thick metal shield slowly started to close over the other two.

"Hey, hurry up! Break 'em before the shield comes down!" she yelled.

Kasumi managed to break hers soon after, but Garrus was having difficulty. The shield was almost completely closed, so he quickly looked through the scope for any possible faults in it. He saw a large crack he had created in the glass. He aimed for the crack, fired, and the tube broke to pieces. He pulled his rifle away and sighed. "Impressive." The pumps stopped and the reaper sunk lower and lower, its main supports destroyed. The remaining metal clamps holding it against the wall broke off and the reaper fell into the abyss below. Shepard looked at Garrus.

"Quite impressive," she added.

She looked around for a panel that would allow her access to the self-destruct function. Kasumi walked to a platform to the left, stared at its center for a moment, and pulled up a strange, cylindrical object from it. "I think this is it," she called to them.

Shepard approached it and began to activate the countdown when Joker's voice came through over her intercom. "Uh, Shepard? Incoming message from the Illusive Man."

"Put him on, Joker," Shepard replied. Kasumi pulled up her omni-tool. A hologram of the Illusive Man was projected through it. He had a wide smile on his face.

"Shepard, you've done the impossible. You defeated the Collectors and even prevented the creation of a human reaper."

Shepard tightened her jaw. This was how he always worked. Always so congratulatory and peaceful to try to get you to let down your guard. He'd act like your best friend to try to deflect any suspicion, gain your complete trust. It didn't work on her. She didn't trust him at all. And she could definitely tell that he wanted something. "Is that all you had to say?" she asked impatiently.

The Illusive Man's face darkened. His smile dissolved into a serious frown. "No. I've been looking through the schematics EDI sent me. It looks like the base can be salvaged. A timed radiation blast would kill every living being on the station, but leave the hardware perfectly intact. Think of the possibilities of what we could accomplish with reaper technology! I'm sure it would be especially useful to use their own knowledge against them."

Shepard looked to her teammates. Kasumi vehemently shook her head. Garrus looked uncomfortable. "That… doesn't sound like the best idea. This stuff is evil. It deserves to be destroyed. We can destroy the reapers without resorting to using… this."

The Illusive Man rolled his eyes and looked irritated. "I should have expected as much from a turian. Your species is too mindless and violent to realize the true potential of gifts such as this station. Stay out of our conversation!"

Garrus looked surprised. He opened his mouth but closed it without saying anything. Shepard's eyes were wide. She turned to look at the hologram, a starkly offended stare on her face. After a second, she spoke. "Stay out of our lives." She gestured to Kasumi to cut the transmission. The hologram vanished. Shepard turned to face them both.

"Okay, this place is gonna get blown to pieces shortly. We better get outta here soon." She set the self-destruct and prepared to set the platform to return to where it came from. Suddenly, she stopped and perked her head up. "Wait… did you hear something?"

Kasumi and Garrus looked at each other. "I didn't hear anything," she said.

"It sounded like a… ratcheting sound. You sure you didn't hear it?"

She shrugged. "Nope." As she said that, a loud creaking sound emanated from below. "… but THAT I heard. What…"

"Kasumi, BEHIND YOU!" Shepard yelled.

Kasumi started to turn as what looked like a large metal whip rose from the abyss, slammed into her chest, and sunk back down again. Shepard and Garrus could tell what this meant. The human reaper wasn't dead. And it was right underneath them.

* * *

The platform ride was longer than expected. Garrus, Shepard, and Kasumi had been waiting to reach the center of the Collector base for at least five minutes now. Garrus thought this was the perfect time to discuss something with Shepard. He approached her and got her attention. Kasumi, realizing that they might want some privacy, stood on the other end of the platform, giving them all that could be given in such a small space. They spoke softly to each other.

"Okay, Shepard, we've gotta talk about what the hell happened on that walkway," Garrus said.

Shepard responded, "What do you mean, 'what the hell happened?' You were being carried away by seeker swarms! I was trying to pull you back in."

"I'm aware of that," Garrus said firmly. "But they were clearly too strong for you. You were being taken away as well. What were you thinking? You should have let me go. It would be absolutely useless for you to be taken away as well. I'm more expendable than you."

Shepard shook her head. "Garrus, do you know what my final thoughts were when I was falling onto Alchera? I was thinking of you. I was worried for you, praying that you made it off the Normandy before its destruction. The oxygen leaking out of my suit? Pah. The searing heat of atmospheric entry? Never gave it a second thought. Garrus, I've loved you for a long time. Longer than you'd probably think. I regretted never telling you before the Normandy's destruction. When I actually woke up again, my first thought when they told me that you were alive was that I had to find you. I couldn't bear never seeing you again, especially when so much was left unsaid. When I happened to run into you again on Omega, I thought it must be a miracle. I promised myself that I'd never let you go, never let us be separated ever again." She smiled at him. "As long as we've been allies, you've stolen my heart."

Garrus seemed genuinely surprised at this. "R… really, Shepard? You felt that way about me, even way back then? I… I'm shocked, I… kind of felt that way about you, too."

Shepard smiled. "You know, deep down, I had a feeling. Your perpetual nervousness around me got me to wondering, but simple fear kept me away. But, Garrus, you are hardly expendable. Like I was saying, I promised myself that I would never let you go. I had to do all I could to save you, even if it meant my own death. And, if I couldn't save you, I intended to die with you. I lost you once, and I sure as hell wasn't about to do it again."

Garrus shook his head rapidly. "Are you insane? What do you think I was thinking when those seekers were pulling me away and you stubbornly held on? I wanted you to let go! I wanted you to be safe! I would die to save you! And I couldn't bear having you die to save me."

Shepard sighed in frustration. "That's my thought exactly. I don't really think we're getting anywhere arguing like this." She rested her head in his neck. "Oh, Archangel. Always so sweet, so selfless."

"Why exactly do you keep insisting on calling me Archangel? It's just a silly nickname some people on Omega gave me, and you call me by it almost as much as you call me Garrus."

Shepard tilted her head to look at his face. "Because you're _my_ Archangel. You're my ever brave, protecting guardian. You're constantly watching out for me, keeping me safe. It's so romantic." She giggled and kissed his cheek. It fluttered in surprise.

"Um, okay," he said, momentarily caught off guard. "Well, then, if I'm your brave protector, a protector's job is to guard his ward's life. So promise me that you won't do anything stupid like sacrifice yourself to save me or, even worse, choose to die with me. It would break my heart."

Shepard frowned. "Well, you better promise me the same thing. Don't you ever sacrifice yourself for me."

Garrus sighed, relenting to appease her and end the cyclical argument. "I'll try. Happy?"

Shepard continued to frown. "No. But... I guess it's all I'll get, isn't it?" She kissed him on the mouth and wrapped her arms around him. Garrus brought his hand up to stroke her hair. He wished this platform ride could go on forever.

* * *

Kasumi was thrown into a nearby wall. She slumped down, not moving. Shepard and Garrus had no time to see if she was okay. They ran to the edge of the platform and looked down. The metal whip lashed straight up at them, forcing them back. Shepard screamed into her communicator, "Ground team, get back to the Normandy, NOW!" They both fired fruitlessly at the giant whip as it lashed at them. They continually dove out of its way until it seemed to simply disappear, retracting itself below the set of platforms.

They both spun around, frantically looking for it. The strange silence was unnerving. It had, for the moment, stopped making its ratcheting sound. Suddenly, the sound loudly continued as it burst up through a platform and aimed itself straight at Shepard. It thrust its tip straight into her chest, slightly lifting her up before forcing her to the ground and making her hit her head hard on the platform. The whip retracted to below the set of platforms again.

"Shepard!" Garrus ran over to her to see if she was okay. He placed his ear by her nose. _Still breathing, at least._ He tried to rouse her with no success. She was out cold. EDI's voice popped up in his communicator.

"Shepard, Garrus, Kasumi, whoever can hear me, listen. I have been able to analyze the human reaper. Apparently, if anything disturbed the mechanisms sustaining it, it was designed to immediately wake up and terminate the saboteur so it could fall asleep again to continue its creation. Its eyes are the weak spot. They should be glowing bright yellow. They're the power source!"

Garrus looked back over the edge of the platform. He could see the reaper's face looking up at him. He aimed at the creatures shining yellow eyes. He fired rapidly, but the reaper simply turned its head and the shots bounced harmlessly off its tough exterior. The whip rose up again to attack him. _How can I get to the face? There's no way to get at from this distance, especially when it doesn't need to look at me to attack! _

The monster changed tactics. It used its whip to slam down on the platforms, causing them to shake violently. Garrus was having trouble keeping steady on his feet. Then he saw Shepard. With each slam, she slid closer and closer to the edge of the platform. He couldn't let her fall off the edge. And time was running out. He didn't know exactly how long he had until the self destruct, but it had to be rapidly approaching. Suddenly, he got an idea. He quickly tried to think of others but none came to mind. There was no other way; Garrus knew what, now, only he could do. When the monster raised its whip, he carefully ran over to Shepard and pulled her to the middle of the platform. He shot a quick glance at Kasumi. He saw her currently safe slumped against a wall, hoping she was still alive. He reached down and grabbed the Cain off of Shepard's back. He reached down and kissed her. He could see her starting to stir; he had to move fast before his conviction faltered. He ran to the edge of the platform and looked down. The creature's whip momentarily stopped as it stared at him as well, roaring as Garrus refused to back away.

* * *

He was brought back to the night before with Shepard. Initially, he was absolutely thrilled that Shepard might actually be showing interest in him. Then he realized how little he knew of human courtship and began to panic. Several times that evening he considered just calling it off, he was so afraid of making the wrong move or saying the wrong thing and gravely offending her. Finally, he convinced himself that if he could handle being holed up in an abandoned apartment with three powerful mercenary gangs after his head, he could handle a date. He wanted it to go perfectly. He bought the most expensive levo-amino-acid wine he could afford. He struggled to think of some music Shepard would like to set the mood when he remembered Shepard mentioned that she liked the music from Flux. But, when he tried to compliment her, he totally blanked on what was appropriate. He was so afraid that Shepard was simply humoring him by voicing her appreciation, so afraid that when she said she was interested in him she was only telling him what she felt he wanted to hear, but she convinced him that night that she meant every word. He loved her, and for the first time he could truly accept that she loved him.

He remembered their first meeting in the Council chambers. He looked at her once and felt a bit intimidated by her. She had such a forceful presence, and he was dreading giving her the news that his Saren investigation turned up nothing of use. She was so kind to him, however, and surprisingly did not hate him for failing to help in Saren's conviction. He was so used to people in superior positions berating him for failure, but she was different. He found it hard to look her in the eyes at that first meeting. He had never met anyone who was both so nice and so beautiful… but, no, nothing like that could ever work. He worried that he was too eager to join her when they met in the clinic, but he really admired her. He felt that they'd get along well, that they had real chemistry… but, he knew that was just crazy talk. Yet his constant, somewhat intrusive feelings for her never diminished. He truly felt like he… loved… her. But he continually convinced himself that no human, least of all her, would ever have feelings for a disgusting _alien_ like him. So he kept his feelings bottled up, avoiding all potentially compromising situations, and made sure that she'd never think he harbored any feelings other than professional ones toward her, no matter how much he hated it.

And then she was killed. Killed, with him being too terrified to ever tell her how he felt. He had never felt so regretful, so moronic, being too afraid to ever tell Shepard how he felt. What would she have really done? She had always been so kind to him before. Would she have really started to hate him if he admitted having deeper feelings for her? He couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to run away, find a new life. He left Council space, went to the Terminus systems, and created one for himself on Omega. Killing mercs helped him keep his mind off his past life. He was no longer Garrus; he had shed that former, weak identity, adopted a colder demeanor, taught himself how to forget about his fallen commander. He was only Archangel, protector of the weak on Omega. And then, she reappeared alive again after two years. It didn't seem real. At first, he wondered if he had been the victim of a well-placed sniper shot and was dead, as well. But he soon realized that he was definitely alive when she barreled him over with a giant hug and they both toppled to the ground, him landing painfully on his rifle. At that moment, everything he had crammed into the deepest recesses of his mind came flooding back in a raging torrent; his Archangel persona vanished, replacing itself with the old Garrus. Now that he knew his fear he felt before was completely unnecessary, that she always loved him as much as he loved her, he felt especially foolish. But they had been given a second chance. A chance for new memories and mutual love.

* * *

These memories game him comfort as he took a deep breath and jumped off the platform. Shepard raised her head in time to see him jump and screamed.

Garrus landed on top of the reaper's head. It seemed surprised by his maneuver and tried to swat at him with the whip. Garrus kneeled down to stay steady and carefully climbed down to the creatures face and stretched his body over it, wrapping his legs tightly around its head and grabbing hold of its eye with his left hand, his right hand still tightly holding the Cain. The reaper flailed around, trying to shake him off. He had to do it. Now. She still called him her "Archangel," her brave protecting guardian. It was time to live up to that name._ I'm sorry, Shepard, but I tried. I really did try. There's no other way I can protect you._ He took the Cain and pointed the end of its barrel directly at the monster's eye. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. He saw it begin to charge up, it started glowing and quivered in his hand. He closed his eyes as the monster continued to roar and flail. Garrus took a final deep, stuttering breath. "Shepard… I lo…" The weapon fired.

Shepard had managed to crawl her way to the end of the platform where Garrus jumped off. She tried to look over when a gigantic mushroom cloud erupted from below, knocking her onto her backside. She got a horrible feeling in her stomach and felt her back. Her Cain was missing. Her eyes widened and she began trembling as she realized what Garrus had just done. The shockwave from the Cain's explosion struck the set of platforms she and Kasumi were on. They were launched far away from where Garrus made his sacrifice. Shepard screeched in agony as she was shuttled into the distance.

Kasumi woke up in silence. The first thing she noticed was the room. It seemed to be glowing red. She looked around. There were several of the floating platforms in a wreck, smashed against a wall. They appeared to be back where they started, where Shepard said good-bye to Miranda. Shepard was kneeling on one of the platforms, completely silent. Kasumi brushed some light scrap metal off of her and stood up. Garrus was conspicuously missing. "Uh, Shep, where's Garrus?" she asked. Shepard didn't respond. She just looked toward the center of the facility where the mushroom cloud was still lingering, barely visible in the distance. Kasumi was confused by it. What did she miss? She remembered being struck by… something, and then she was out cold until now. Shepard finally spoke.

"Reaper… wasn't dead. It came to life, knocked you out, knocked me out." She was speaking as if she was in a trance. "Garrus took the Cain, jumped onto it…" She began to break down. "…boom." Kasumi took a second to process this information and finally gasped in disbelief and horror as she realized that Shepard was saying that Garrus was dead. An alarm sounded. The self destruct was about to trigger. There was no time to lament just now. Kasumi pulled Shepard up to her feet. "Come on, girl, we've gotta beat it!" Shepard didn't want to move. Her love died here. She wanted to stay, to follow him, to hopefully be with him again. Kasumi became frustrated.

"Shepard, Garrus wanted you to promise that you wouldn't do anything stupid like choose to die with him. Do you really want to ignore his wishes now?" Shepard looked up at Kasumi, confused. She had overheard? _Wait, why am I surprised?_ she thought. _This is Kasumi I'm talking about. And I suppose we can't really have been talking _that_ quietly._ Shepard accepted that Kasumi was making sense. After all, if she gave up now and let herself die, Garrus would never forgive her. She nodded and began running back toward the entrance. Kasumi quickly followed.

"Joker, it's Kasumi. Is everyone else there?" she asked into her communicator.

Joker responded. "Everyone else made it, we're just waiting for you three!"

Kasumi was silent for a second. "We're on our way." She had no desire to say any more.

She turned off the communicator and Harbinger's voice rang through the facility. "Human, you've changed nothing. That which you know as reapers will be your salvation through destruction." Shepard tried to ignore it as she continued running. "You refuse to recognize this. But all races will someday realize the unfathomable superiority of us. The fool turian threw his life away on a hopeless venture. We cannot be stopped. The universe has no place for ones like him." Shepard covered her ears, trying to block out what Harbinger was saying. She would not tolerate him speaking ill of Garrus like that.

"You cannot win, Shepard. You will lose all you love. You will know pain."

Kasumi ran ahead. The Normandy rose up at the end of the walkway they were on. Its airlock was open and facing them. Joker emerged wielding an assault rifle, firing at the Collectors who had emerged behind Shepard and Kasumi to stop them. Kasumi reached the end of the walkway and deftly jumped onto the ship. After she was aboard, however, falling debris forced the ship away from the walkway. Shepard ran faster and faster to try to pick up speed. When she reached the end of the walkway, she jumped as far she could, fighting her desire to give up on life without Garrus. She managed to grip the bottom of the airlock and Kasumi reached down to help her into the ship.

Joker made his way back to the pilot's seat. "Wait, Garrus…?" he asked.

Shepard had collapsed and was on the floor. She shook her head. "Go," she said emotionlessly. Joker had a solemn look on his face as he turned the ship to leave. As they left the base, it erupted into a giant fireball. Joker pushed the ship to its limits as it sped away from the blast and went toward the mass relay to leave.


	4. Fleeting Memories

**True Loves**

Chapter 4: Fleeting Memories

Shepard went to the briefing room to face the Illusive Man one last time. When she saw his face, she could tell he was absolutely furious. "Shepard. That base could have helped us immensely. This setback could cost us the war with the reapers. It might have been our only chance! Why couldn't you understand that?"

"That base created a human reaper!" Shepard shot back. "That base was an abomination. We can't use something like that! Hell, you'd probably want to make your own reaper!"

"I only do what is best for humanity! Reaper technology is the most advanced that we know of in the entire universe. We could have done weapon studies, analyzed new shielding technology, who knows what all could have been accomplished? You let your feelings get in the way of your better judgment!"

"Humanity?" Shepard snorted. "No, you do what's best for Cerberus. That's your only interest. You'd crush the Alliance military beneath your heel before you'd let whatever you'd discover in that base out of Cerberus hands. Garrus died helping me destroy that base. And I think that by destroying that base I also protected the galaxy from a reign of tyranny led by you!

The Illusive Man snarled. "Is that so? Well, shut up for a second and listen to me. The reapers are my only concern. They must be stopped. As long as that goal is met, the ends justify the means! And now, thanks to you, it's all ruined! Your precious turian died for nothing! We stopped the Collectors, but we're no closer to stopping the incoming reaper horde than when we started! All of that power that could have been at my fingertips is now gone! You've failed your turian, you've failed me, and you've failed humanity!

Shepard had had enough. "Like hell, you vile son of a bitch." She pulled out her pistol and shot the console. The holographic room immediately distorted and vanished. She fired into it again and again, rendering it utterly useless. The Illusive Man, realizing what Shepard had done, roared angrily and threw his ashtray against the wall, smashing it to pieces.

"… Are you all right, Shepard?" EDI's voice rang through the intercom. "Would you like to lie down?"

Shepard was breathing rapidly, her heart racing. She put her pistol away and rubbed her forehead. "Yes, EDI, I think I will go lie down. Thanks."

"… I am sorry for your loss, Shepard. I understand what Mr. Vakarian meant to you. He was a good man."

"Yes, EDI, he was…" Shepard began before walking to the elevator, ignoring anyone she saw on the way.

Shepard was sitting on her bed, her legs pulled up close to her. She was thinking about what had happened back on the base. Garrus actually sacrificed himself. He was really dead. Garrus. Dead. She couldn't comprehend the fact that she'd truly never see him again. She thought of the night they'd spent together on the very bed she was sitting on now. Was that really less than 24 hours ago? It felt like a different lifetime. She was sifting through her feelings when she was disturbed by the doorbell.

"Huh, who is it?" she asked.

"It's me. May I come in? I thought you could use a friend right now."

Shepard got up to go to the door. "All right, I'm coming." She pushed the button beside the door and it slid open. Kasumi was standing on the other side.

This took Shepard by surprise. She turned around. No one was there. Shepard had become accustomed to Kasumi stealthily letting herself in after asking to enter.

"You're still here," Shepard said unbelievingly.

Kasumi smiled. "I thought it would be rude to just let myself in, considering the circumstances."

Shepard and Kasumi had made fast friends after meeting on the Citadel. She found Kasumi an easy person to talk to. She often came up to have chats with Shepard, often about her burgeoning relationship with Garrus. Shepard felt that out of everyone on the ship, Kasumi was her best friend.

"How are you holding up?" Kasumi asked. The two walked to Shepard's bed to sit.

"Lonely," Shepard responded, looking down at the bedspread. "I just, really can't believe he's… gone. I mean, just last night we had our first date, and ended up… y'know… and it just felt magical. I wanted that moment to never end. And now, no more of those moments can ever happen." She looked at Kasumi. "Why was I such a fool?" she yelled. "Why did I wait so long before ever admitting I had feelings for him? You'd think I'd have learned my lesson after I died, that we never know when our time will come. But I was arrogant, I felt for sure that nothing would happen to either of us, and I waited until just last night. We had one private night together! One! It's not fair, he deserved better than that! And now I'm left to wonder, 'Did he die for nothing? Was it my fault?'"

Kasumi pulled Shepard's face up to look her in the eyes. "Listen to me. Do NOT pay attention to whatever Harbinger or the Illusive Man said. Garrus did not die for nothing. He died for you. I did hear that whole conversation on the platform, you know. I know he promised to try and not make any sacrifices. But, Shepard, if he didn't take out the reaper, we never would have been able to escape. It would have killed all of us, and if it didn't, we would still never have been able to get away before the explosion. But he loved you so much that he was willing to… throw himself between you and the reapers to protect you." Kasumi was beginning to tear up as well. "You really know how to pick 'em, Shep. That man loved you like crazy."

Shepard looked at Kasumi with gratitude. "Thanks, Kass. But… wait, now that you mention it, I've gotta wonder, how exactly did you know what the Illusive Man said? I didn't mention that _he_ said anything, and that room's supposed to be soundproof and the console's said to be unhackable."

Kasumi began to smile as well. "I was cloaked in the room with you when you two were having it out. I walked with you to the elevator, rode it up here with you, and waited just outside your door for a few minutes before I rang the doorbell. I thought you'd want at least a little time alone."

Shepard had an inquisitive look on her face. "But… why?"

"I wanted to make sure you had a friend with you when you felt your worst, even if you didn't know I was there. Remember," Kasumi started crying, "I lost my love, too."

Shepard had never felt so much love for Kasumi before that moment. She remembered that Kasumi had lost her lover, Keiji, when he was murdered by the ruthless crime lord, Donovan Hock. Shepard felt so touched that Kasumi would care so deeply for her.

"Losing Keiji was… difficult," Kasumi said, trying to keep her composure. "Destroying his graybox was like losing him for a second time. I wasn't even able to be there with him at the end. But, the memories of him help me through it. I remember our laughs together, the thrill of our cooperative heists, the private moments, and they all comfort me. He never truly, fully left me." She patted Shepard on the shoulder. "You're a strong woman, Shep. Remember what you and Garrus shared, no matter how fleeting, and you'll be able to make it through all right."

Shepard looked at her, lip quivering, and reached over to embrace her. They were both openly crying now, leaning on each other for support.

"And, Shepard," Kasumi said, "I wasn't able to see it, but it definitely sounds like that move your boyfriend did was pretty impressive."

That made Shepard smile a bit. "Yeah, I guess it was pretty impressive." She sighed, feeling more at peace. "He's my Archangel, watching from above…" The two mourning lovers sat there for what seemed an eternity, crying, embracing, and remembering the fleeting moments with their true loves.


End file.
